Innholdsfortegnelse for 03/05/2022 i Amateur Photographer

When it comes to composition, there is no set of ‘rules’ to follow and it can be all too easy to fall back onto widely used and rather predictable techniques such as leading lines and the rule of thirds. If you’re keen to try some fresh approaches, we’ve got lots of advice and insights from Michael Freeman, one of the UK’s most prolific photography authors, who has just brought out a new book on the subject. There is lots in this issue for vintage camera fans too, including a celebration of Olympus’s iconic OM-1 film SLR – which is 50 years old this year – and a round-up of highly affordable classic box cameras for getting attractive, lo-fi effects. Coming back to the present, we also reveal why the Samsung…

SONY has updated its professional workhorse standard zoom to produce the FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II. The new optic is smaller and lighter than its predecessor, while boasting improved operability. It’s also claimed to be sharper and better suited to video shooting. At 120mm in length and 695g, Sony claims this is the world’s smallest and lightest 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. Yet it still finds space for an aperture ring, which clicks at one-third stop intervals but can be switched to smooth operation for video. The zoom gains a torque control with smooth and tight settings, and dual focus-hold buttons are on board. Sony has used four XD Linear Motors for autofocus, promising improved subject tracking when shooting at high frame rates. The minimum focus distance ranges from 21cm to 30cm,…

OM DIGITAL Solutions has admitted to AP that it has increased prices ‘on selected lenses recently’, but has no immediate plans to raise other prices. That’s good news for those looking to buy OM System cameras, but it highlights the current volatility of the market for imaging product prices. OM Digital Solutions told AP, ‘We adjusted the prices on selected lenses recently due to changes in component costs but have no immediate plans for more changes on lenses or bodies… the situation is under continuous review with the current volatility in global supply chains.’ Nikon had already said it was increasing prices on some imaging products after 1 April. Meanwhile, Zeiss told AP, ‘We always try to keep any price increases to a minimum. It has been challenging lately with…

Having been a freelance horticultural photographer since the 1960s I started on 5x4in format. I progressed down to 6x6cm (2 1/4in square) and stayed with that format until digital cameras became adequate. Owing to the cost of film and processing, careful composure and exposure became the norm; I only took one image of each subject and 90 to 100 images was the maximum on a good day when the light and weather conditions were favourable. This has continued with digital using my X-series Fujifilm cameras and I still consider it a good day if I manage 90 images of 90 different plants or garden features. This includes keeping notes of plant names of each shot. As I approach 83, I still get as much pleasure out of my profession as…

● £560 ● billingham.co.uk At a glance • Holds camera and 4-5 lenses• Pocket for 13in/14in laptop• 40x35x18cm external dimensions• Available in a choice of five colours BILLINGHAM is famed for its top-quality, British-made camera bags. Its Eventer MKII is a large shoulder bag that’ll hold a camera body with four or five lenses, along with a laptop up to 30cm wide (equating to a 13in or 14in screen size). The padded camera insert is removable, which allows it to do double-duty as a travel bag. Compared to the firm’s popular Hadley range, the Eventer is placed more upmarket. Its main compartment boasts a zip closure, in contrast to the Hadley’s simple lid, which in principle makes it more secure. In addition, the base is protected by a generous covering…

Night Watch by Bert Hardy Fleet Street crime reporter ‘Jeep’ Whitall of the Daily Mirror, waiting for a contact outside a café in London, May 1947. This evocative image was taken for a story in the Picture Post entitled “Fleet Street’s Murder Gang”, and was captured by the Post’s foremost – and best known – photographer, Bert Hardy. The feature explored how crime journalists from the national newspapers were often at crime scenes shortly after the police arrived – and sometimes even before, thanks to tactics such as listening in to police radios. At the time, newspapers were selling many millions of copies a day, with crime being one of their typical go-to big-selling subjects. The Getty Images Hulton Archive is one of the world’s great cultural resources. Tracing its…

UNIPORT Solutions has launched a fundraising campaign to bring its X-Driver CFexpress and USB-C memory card – the world’s first ever CFexpress memory card to include a built-in USB-C port connector – to market. The card negates the need to use a memory card reader when transferring image or video files from a camera to a computer. The X-Driver (Type B) card fits into the same memory card slots on cameras as conventional CFexpress Type B cards. The read and write speeds of the X-Driver cards are said to be 1700Mb/s and they are in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB capacities. Uniport Solutions plans to ship the X-Driver card products by November.…

NIKON has published details of its Medium-Term Management Plan, which reveals it plans to have over 50 Nikkor Z-mount lenses by 2025. The news was within Nikon Corporation’s 47-page Medium-Term Management Plan (FY2022-2025). In it Nikon stated it would, ‘Bolster the Z mount system by expanding lens line-up (50+ lenses and a 2+ lens attach rate).’ The so-called ‘lens attach rate’ refers to units of lens sales per unit of camera sales. The current Z-series lens line-up listed by Nikon UK consists of 29 lenses (including 1.4x and 2x teleconverters). That means Nikon must launch at least 22 new Z lenses by 2025 to meet its target. The Nikon plan also said it would ‘deploy advanced features from the Z 9 across the line-up.’ This means that some ‘trickle down’…

International Photography Exhibition 163 Until 21 August RPS Gallery, Bristol, Free. Visit rps.org.uk The world’s longest-running photography exhibition is now in its 163rd edition, and displays a total of 105 works by 60 photographers at the RPS in Bristol. Exploring themes of identity, cultural heritage, global societal issues, gender politics, mental health, the natural world and the human condition, there should be something for everybody. Particular attention is paid to the impact of the pandemic, too, with hardship, grief, resilience and hope all explored. Chosen anonymously from a worldwide open call, the photographs were selected from 8,000 submissions, entered by 3,994 photographers across a total of 114 countries. Look at me like you love me by Jess T Dugan £35, Mack Books, hardback, 108 pages, ISBN 9781913620547 Bringing together self-portraits,…

AP picture of the week Singled Out by Simon Bradley Nikon D3500, Sigma DG HSM 105mm macro lens, 1/500sec at f/3.3, ISO 100 ‘I have been a regular reader of AP magazine since my passion for photography began some years ago. The insights and features have always inspired me and I love the consistently great articles featured each week. I would describe myself as a keen amateur photographer and enjoy landscape and macro mainly. This image, that I call simply “Singled Out”, was taken one morning on a walk in local woods in Shropshire with my macro lens. I took the image lying on the ground after spotting the single bud seeming to stand out among the group of flowers. I wanted to achieve a shallow depth of field.’ Instagram:…

BENRO has launched its versatile TablePod Flex and KoalaPod Mini-Tripod systems. The Benro TablePod Flex tripod combines rigid carbon fibre legs with flexible legs. The kit folds down to 30.5cm, weighs 0.43kg, will support up to 3kg and is available now with an SRP of £140. The KP1 KoalaPod comes with the tripod, quick-lock clamp, auxiliary locking ring and drawstring bag, whilst the KP1K KoalaPod Kit includes a folding smartphone holder and two additional legs to hold accessories. The KoalaPod is 26.6cm long folded, weighs 0.22kg and supports a payload of up to 1.5kg. The KoalaPod range is £35 for the KP1 or £45 for the KP1 Kit.…

5 May 1984 ‘MAY the Fifth be with you.’ It doesn’t quite work does it, so it’s unclear why AP roped in Darth Vader to promote the Konica CV303 video camera featured on this week’s cover. Perhaps the pictures were a bit on the dark side. Readers may also wonder what a video camera is doing on the cover of AP at all, but AP has throughout most of its history given a significant amount of space to the moving image, and indeed for many years before WW2 was even called The Amateur Photographer and Cinematographer. Cine, video and audiovisual was extensively covered in AP, with reviews, columnists and buying guides right up until the 1990s. This particular camcorder, the smallest of its kind, was a highlight of PMA 1984,…

ALTHOUGH the Samsung S22 Ultra is an expensive proposition, if you’re a photographer looking for the best smartphone camera, this is pretty much it. With four lenses to choose from, it’s incredibly versatile. Three out of the four lenses produce excellent results, with good, usable results from the longest telephoto lens. Images are very good directly from the camera. The standard Photo mode produces vibrant and bright results, while the Pro mode provides useful scope for further editing. Other shooting modes, such as Portrait and Night, also produce decent images. Video performs well, too, with the best results seen when shooting either in 4K or Full HD and with image stabilisation switched on if you’re recording something while you’re moving or walking. Overall, if you want the best of the…

I first saw the work of Wasi Daniju when PhotoFusion, an organisation combining gallery, darkroom and multi-layered educational programming in Brixton, asked Emma Bowkett and I to curate their ‘salon’ exhibition from their members’ work. The darkrooms at PhotoFusion flourish with many talented, emerging and mid-career photographers, so the process was going to be a very pleasurable one albeit during lockdown. The very first object I touched was the book entitled 84 Days by Wasi Daniju. I can still feel the hair on my neck standing on end as I relive the experience of looking at her book. The book sat comfortably in the palm of my hand, the fabric covering of the book was made with such care and attention. From page one I knew this was special, I…